We made the best glögg we have ever made this year. Due to the fact that this is the first year we have sourced all of the spices you need to make glögg. Amazing cloves from Wepathana in Sir Lanka, the incredible Quang Nam Cinnamon and the Knuckles Mountains Cardamom that is probably one of the best green cardamoms that have ever set foot in Sweden.
For this this years glögg creation we met up with our good friends and collaborators Johan and Johan from What Took You So Long. We have made glögg before but with mixed results. Always good but sometimes unbalanced. We knew we needed some expert help since internet is not always to be trusted. It came in the form of Adrian father, Michael, and one of Swedens most experimental culinary masterminds Magnus Wikström (@mw_huntandcook).
Here are some advice from them and us that really changes the outcome of your final product:
- Use Bordeaux wine
- Use a whole bunch of raisins (GAME CHANGER! We also discussed the idea of using dried figs, apricots etc)
- Use fresh orange and mandarin peel
- Use a darker sugar. We used palm sugar
- Rum is nice. Cognac is nice
- Use A LOT of spice. We should ourselves have had more in. Getting more careful as the years progress. Not always a goodthing.
- Put all the spice in your preferred alcohol days before making your glögg. (We didn’t do this due to lack of time but we have a strong feeling that it would both add depth and complexity. For next year)
- Toast the spices in the pot before adding the wine
- You never want the liquid to boil. In fact Magnus told us that the best temperature is right above 60c
- The best part of glögg making is tasting as the process unfold. It is a real transformation and here you can start to play with the flavors and add what you want more of.
- Remember to remove citrus peels and cinnamon the day after. Otherwise both will add unneeded bitterness.
For this batch we also threw in some Batak Pepper which really gave it a beautiful twist. Here come the recipe. It is hard to give you all an exact measure on spices. It really depends on what you like. But we would recommend using more that you think. If you are making just wine glögg you can skip the strong alcohol. If not we usually have a 1 to 3 or 1 to 4 ratio of wine vs. strong alcohol.
Ingredients
- Bordeaux wine
- Rum
- Cognac
- Sri Lankan cloves
- Knuckles Mountains Green Cardamoms
- Quang Nam Cinnamon sticks
- Lang Son Star Anise
- Fresh ginger
- Kandy Ginger powder
- Orange peels
- Raisins & other dried fruits
- Palm sugar
- Vanilla pods
Step by step
1. Toast all your dried spices in a big pot. (It you have not already steeped the spices in alcohol days before. Would still recommend toasting the spices before you put the in alcohol.)
2. Add wine. Add Rum. Add Cognac.
3. Add citrus peels, fresh ginger, ginger powder, vanilla pods, raisins. Let it all heat up gently until around 60c. Keep it there if you can. Never let it boil.
4. Add sugar each time you come around stir the pot. Which should be quite often. Taste each time. One of the best things about making glögg. To taste the transformation. Add sugar each time until you get your preferred sweetness. The dried fruits will also add sweetness.
5. Do this for some hours or whatever time you have then add everything to container that can handle heat. Set aside.
6. The day after remove all the spices. Especially the cinnamon and citrus peels.
7. Store for at least a couple of days before use. If it is too strong you can just add some wine when you heat it up again. Also some final spices can be nice in this part of the process.
Enjoy!
Tell us what you think about the recipe and if there are twists that we could use to make an even better batch next year.
Merry Holidays!
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